Abstract
The present review examines in the first place various kinds of naturally occurring stem cells, including germ cells and embryonic stem cells (ES cells), as well as haemopoietic stem cells, which are historically the first to be used for medical treatment. Attention is also given to cancer stem cells, as a source of perseverant malignant disease. The main interest is now represented by the variety of somatic cells, which can be re-programmed to different types of differentiated cells, the so-called induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSC’s). Focus is now directed not only to the factors which make such events possible like de-differentiation and reconversion but also to the stages involved in this process. It is actually postulated that the transition from differentiated cells to pluripotent cells follows a definite sequence with evidence of two waves of gene regulations. Main applications of stem cell therapy are reviewed, from the established use of haemopoietic stem cells for clinical transplantation in a variety of haematological disorders to the initial attempts to employ stem cells for the treatment of other disparate conditions. Problems related to stem cell treatment with both ES and IPS cells, like the necessity of a large in vitro expansion to provide sufficient amounts of cells and the related risk of genomic abnormalities are illustrated. The necessity of safe procedures for the development of this venture is also outlined.
Highlights
The properties and applications of different types of stem cells have received an incredible degree of attention in recent years, which was difficult to imagine during the first attempts to move into this area
These findings provide the first evidence of a possible genomic characterization of human germ cells and pluripotent stem cells and identify genes involved in different states of germ-line pluripotency
The initial realization that some kind of non-haemopoietic stem cells may be located in the bone marrow can be traced to the original hypothesis that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are regulated by their physical association with a cellular microenvironment within BM: further investigations revealed that a second type of stem cell is present in the BM, in the hematopoiesis-supporting stroma [62]
Summary
The properties and applications of different types of stem cells have received an incredible degree of attention in recent years, which was difficult to imagine during the first attempts to move into this area. (2014) Types of Human Stem Cells and Their Therapeutic Applications. Eridani their versatility and clinical applications [1]-[4] It has been in the clinical field that stem cells have occupied a very important place, first in the haemato- and immunological pathology with good success but more recently, in other areas like neurological, cardiological and metabolic disorders, where trials are still in an early stage. It has to be mentioned the use of stem cells as instruments of gene therapy, as they can be loaded with normal genes and transferred into tissues carrying genetic abnormalities [5]
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